1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to ventilation fans, and more particularly to a ventilation system designed for use on personal computers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Every computer user understands the importance of alleviating excess heat buildup within the processing unit. Ventilation prolongs the life of critical computer components and reduces the chances of intermittent data errors.
Nearly every computer purchased today has a built in ventilation system. Unfortunately, most systems are designed to carry excess heat away from the power supply exclusively, and any cooling of circuit boards is incidental. Ideally, air temperature within the chassis of most computers should be kept in the range of 84 to 88 F. Temperatures above this range subject the components to a much higher risk of degradation and outright failure due to overheating.
Extreme temperatures may result from many different causes. For example, ambient temperature outside of the computer is very important. No ventilation system can provide adequate cooling if room temperature exceeds 85 F. Additionally, positioning of the computer in a small enclosed area prevents proper movement and/or circulation of air, which may affect heat dissipation. Articles within the computer may inhibit air flow, such as the disk controller ribbon cable. Similarly, extra boards in the card area hinder essential air flow. Alternatively, the exhaust port for the power supply fan, or the air intake grille area, may itself be obstructed.
The present invention is directed to a ventilation system for use on home and office computers, referred to as personal computers, or so-called "PC's," and was specifically designed to be easily adapted to the PC's manufactured by International Business Machines Corporation, hereinafter referred to as IBM (IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corp.) and other PC's manufactured with similar cover/chassis designs. Ventilation systems have been engineered for the IBM PC in the past, but these systems suffer several disadvantages. First of all, they are fairly bulky and most are mounted on the outside of the machine, reducing its attractiveness and increasing its size. An example of one such ventilation device is the unit manufactured by ABC Computer Peripherals, Inc. of New York, N.Y., under the brand name PC Airflow. Some systems are designed to be mounted between the outer enclosure and the chassis of the unit, requiring the use of extension bolts and/or skirts to insure that the enclosure completely surrounds the chassis. The "PCool" model manufactured by Analytic Information Processing, Inc. (AIP) of Danville, California, falls in this category. Even though the PC chassis and cover are far from being an air tight enclosure, it is nevertheless advantageous to control airflow entry and exit to every extent possible. Finally, special tools are usually needed to mount these devices, and some require permanent connections to the PC. It would, therefore, be desirable and advantageous to devise a ventilation system capable of providing increased air circulation to the card area of the PC, which is easily mounted thereto and does not detract from the appearance of the computer.